Beowulf As An Epic Hero Essay

Beowulf begins on his journey to slay Grendel’s demonic mother. He travels on horse to a magical lake. Placed on the edge of the cliff, Beowulf’s troop spots the gory head of Æschere. Looking down into the murky water, Beowulf’s troop is able to see the serpents and sea

Upon entering the Danes' hall, Herot, Grendel is confronted by Beowulf, who immediately seizes Grendel's arms and drives fear into the monster's heart, "... [Grendel] knew at once that nowhere on earth/ Had he met a man whose hands were harder..." (lines 751-752). Through his slaughter of Grendel, Grendel's mom, the dragon, and other monsters, Beowulf proves his amazing strength to the other characters and to the readers.

Beowulf continued to listen about how this monster was described, he was interested and wanted to challenge this big bad monster to kill him. The king gave a room for Beowulf and his man to rest because tomorrow they would begin to plan their trap to kill Grendel. As everyone slept Beowulf stayed awake as he kept plotting for his trap to kill Grendel. The next morning Beowulf and this man were with the king they were given weapons to use against Grendel but Beowulf didn't know that no weapon could kill Grendel unless it was the big sword that was hammered by

He then storms inside and finds sleeping soldiers, Grendel is excited at the sight because it means food. He grabs 30 men killing them and dragging their bodies back to his home where he eats them. The battle between Beowulf and Grendel goes on and on which not any normal person can fight for so long. they punch and kick each other multiple times, smashing into walls and wooden beams. Eventually Beowulf pins Grendel down and starts pulling on Grendel's arm, skin tears and muscle rips. Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off at the shoulder. Grendel, now wounded badly escapes to his home, and Beowulf keeps Grendel's arm as a trophy. Grendel's defeat angers his mother and she looks for revenge. So as the men were celebrating Beowulf's victory and as soon as the men were asleep she breaks into Herot and Takes only one man and Grendel's arm. That morning King Hrothgar was shocked to find it was his best friend that she took and killed. Beowulf set out to find her and kill her. The men went to the lake, the home of Grendel and his mother. Without thinking Beowulf jumps in and dives down, he keeps diving and diving. It takes him hours to get to the bottom, but when he does he's grabbed by Grendel's mother. She tries to hurt him but she can't so she drags him to her cave. Beowulf gets free and starts hitting her with his sword but it's useless so he uses his hands. Beowulf sees a giant sword on the wall bigger and heavier than normal, he reaches up and rips it off the wall, breaking the chains holding it up. With one swing he cuts off Grendel's mother head killing her.

Hrothgar shows Beowulf with gifts and treasure at a feast in his honor. They have song to praise of Beowulf, and the celebration lasted all night. But another threat is approaching. Grendel’s mother, a swamp-hag who lives in a desolate lake, comes to Heorot seeking revenge for her son’s death. She murders Aeschere, one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisers, before slinking away. To avenge Aeschere’s death, the company travels to the murky swamp, where Beowulf dives into the water and fights Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair. He kills her with a sword forged for a giant. Then Beowulf find the Grendel’s corpse the he decapitates him and going to use the head as a prize to Hrothgar.

The story of Beowulf is an epic poem. This epic poem includes Anglo-Saxon that are exiled by heroes, elegy, scops, and a cross of Christianity and pagan religions. The heroes in this story are known as epic heroes. The long dangerous journeys they endure are called quest. On these quest the heroes complete many valorous deeds. Along the way these heroes almost always receive a divine intervention, where they receive help from a god in their battle. The divine intervention gives them strength to win the battle and indulge in the heroism they receive thereafter. One of these heroes was Wiglaf.

In the story there are many struggles between man and monster, good and evil, and truth and light. The encounters with Grendel, his mother, and a dragon highlight these conflicts. The battles are each depicted in such a way that the reader first feels fear as the hero is put in a challenging situation, but starts to instill himself with hope and pride as the hero’s courage and might outshine the evil. This contrasting narrative really allows for the story to connect with the audience and allows them to feel emotions that the hero is feeling.

A hero is a man without fear,courageous,always ready to sacrifice,tough and pure at heart. Beowulf a real hero a man who sacrificed himself for his kingdom he is a true hero a man without fear and pure at heart. At first he risked his life to kill Grendel and then he risked his life again to kill Grendel’s mom like a hero he takes control of his kingdom like a good leader Understanding the significance of Beowulf's acts requires an understanding of the key figures in the epic poem. This hero of Sweden (Geats), the hero Beowulf provides aid to Hrothgar, the king of Danes. A Powerful monster Grendel and his mother attacked Hrothgar’s Mead hall. The hero Beowulf kills Grendel and becomes target of Grendel’s mother. Beowulf

Beowulf took a risky excursion to the cave which Grendel’s mom lived. It was underwater and he was unsure how far under he had to go in order to find her. He thought about defeating her the same way he defeated Grendel. However, her drive of revenge increased her strength, causing them both to fall during battle and she upsurge faster than beowulf and began to sit on him.

This battle takes place in a cave after Beowulf had tracked her to a bog until he found the spot where the water was on fire. Once there he jumps in and swims for a whole day until he found the cave. In this battle he wears his armor and takes a sword by the name of Hrunting. It was Hrothgar’s sword and Unferth carried it for the sea-geat. So with all this gear he swims through the water until he happens upon Grendel’s mum who grabs him and tries to hurt him, though to no avail. Beowulf gets pinned and the sea monsters come around him and tear at him, which does hurt him a little. He finally gets his arm free and swings Hrunting at the mother of evil but it breaks upon her head. Then she pulls a dagger on him and tries to stab him but his armor protects him. Then he sees a sword off to the side that he grabs and stabs her with. The sword is supernatural and doesn’t break on her but after he cuts the head off of the hell thane, the sword dissipates and only the hilt is left. The hilt depicts a great flood, which supposedly was supposed to have killed Grendel and his mum but they were able to survive in their cave and made it alive. So the bold thane has fought with Grendel and his mum and still he stands.

Born of royal descendants, the mythical being of Beowulf claims to have the strength of thirty thanes and has come to Hrothgar’s kingdom to rid it of the evil monster. He fights for honor, loyalty, and family and announces that he shall defeat the beast without the assistance of man-made weapons. The moment Grendel encounters Beowulf he notes the strange ways in which he moves and his instinctive pattern-making. Their meeting marks the first time Grendel admits a true fear for a human being, noting how his “lips don’t match the words coming out of his mouth.” Beowulf is the only person that is capable of destroying the “destroyer,” and Grendel knows it. His apparent fear leads readers to believe that maybe Grendel is questioning his position at the top of the food chain. Beowulf introduces to Grendel the idea that the world always was and always will be, regardless Grendel’s role in

Grendel, hearing the boisterous Danes celebrates Beowulf’s arrival, races over to the Mead-hall. The warrior strips down, saying that he will fight Grendel on equal terms. One he arrives, the battle between two begins. Grendel learns quickly that Beowulf is not a normal warrior; his strength outmatching Grendel’s. When the monster tries to escape in the face of this superior strength, Beowulf tears the arm off Grendel. Though Grendel does manage to escape, his wound proves to be fatal. Overjoyed at the result of the battle, king Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gold and gifts. Songs are sung in his praise and the festivities last until yet another monster appears. The mother of Grendel desired vengeance for her son’s death, and takes the life of Aeschere, the kings most trusted adviser.

Beowulf is one in a sea of many epic poems exemplifying battle, glory, great leaders, and, inevitably, death. Classic plot lines have followed the general flow of such stories from exposition to conflict to resolution, the majoity thriving off of a hero-villan mentality. The battle between good and evil has been perpetuated throughout history in literature and story. The media today suffers from the clear segregation of right and wrong just as much as society did in the days that Beowulf was first written. Though literary portrayals of good and evil appear clearcut, the identification of good and evil in daily life is complex and muddled. In Beowulf, there is an obvious divide between monsters and heroes; however, under closer scrutiny, heroes and monsters are not as dissimilar as they appear.

Beowulf is one of the most well known pieces of literature in history. Written between 700 and 1000 AD, this poem has captured the minds of scholars, historians, and readers across the globe. However, despite the fact that it has been passed down for numerous centuries, perhaps one of its most fascinating characteristics are the intriguing battles that Beowulf, the protagonist, takes on. Throughout this epic poem, Beowulf takes on many battles, all of which are practically unwinnable. Each battle presents new obstacles for Beowulf and his men as they tackle the unthinkable. Despite the fact that the odds are turned against him, he musters up all of his strength and bravery to achieve the impossible. Through this poem, he fights Grendel, a demon from the swamp. He also fights Grendel’s mother, who approaches Beowulf craving revenge from the Danes. Lastly, he fights a dragon, who becomes angry when his treasure is stolen. Each of Beowulf’s battles provide elements that define Beowulf and shape him into being a different person. Fear, courage, honor, and strength all play a large part in the battles that Beowulf fights.

That night the whole village celebrated this great triumph as the village was now free of the evil that had haunted them for twelve years. Beowulf and his fellow warriors were all rewarded graciously with treasures of gold and jewelry at another feast of a joyous commemoration of heroic tales of the past. In the story, Beowulf accredited God for the strength and power to fight as it states, “He 'd snatched at Beowulf 's arm, but that prince remembered God 's grace and the strength He 'd given him and relied on the Lord for all the help, the comfort and support he would need.” Once the night ended and all the village rested more peacefully than ever before, the hall was visited by another unexpected terror seeking revenge, Grendel 's mother. The unnamed breast stole one victim and her son 's arm then retreated back into the darkness. Beowulf on horseback and warriors on foot followed her trail which ended at the water 's edge. Unaffected by fear as the others, Beowulf plunged into the water, found Grendel 's mother and slew her with the sword hanging on the